Feeding mechanism for can making machines



Oct. 1, 1935.

H. F. BAYER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CAN MAKING MACHINES Filed Oct. 14,1935 5 Sheets-Sheet l OCL 1, 1935. F BAYER 2,015,987

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FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CAN MAKING MACHINES Filed Oct. 14, 1933 5Sheets-Sheet 5 1 J] 423 44 4&2

Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FEEDING MECHANISM FORCAN MAKING MACHINES Application October 14, 1933, Serial No. 693,651 8Claims. (01. 271-54) The invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in a feeding mechanism for can making machines, and moreparticularly to a feeding mechanism for feeding blanks, from which canbodies are made, to and from an operating station.

It has been a common expedient in body making machines to feed the bodyblanks first to one operating station and then another by reciprocatingfeed bars carrying yielding feed dogs which engage each blank in turnand moves the same to an operating station, bringing said blank intocontact with a stop which positions the same at the operating station.Reciprocating feed bars carrying feed dogs for this purpose, in highspeed machines, develop lost motion which leads to inaccuracy in theplacing of the blanks. Furthermore, reciprocating bars limit to a greatextent the speed at which blanks may be fed to and from an operatingstation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a feeding mechanism forintermittently feeding blanks to and from an operating station, whichfeeding mechanism includes continuously traveling feed dogs operatedupon by cam means for releasing said dogs from engagement with the bodyblanks as they are brought into engagement with the stops that positionsaid blanks for operation.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of theinvention- Figure 1 is a portion of a side view of a body makerembodying the improvements;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the breaker rolls which are usedin the machine;

Fig. 3 is a View showing a body blank having the edges thereof notchedpreparatory to the forming of a lock and lap seam can body;

Fig. 4 is a view showing the body blank as operated upon at the firstedging station, where the edges are turned in opposite directions at substantial right angles to the plane of the blank;

Fig. 5 is a view showing the body blank as operated upon by the secondedging station where the hooks are bent inwardly preparatory to theinterlocking of the same for forming the side seam;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a portion of the machine embodying theinvention;

Fig. '7 is a horizontal sectional View through a portion of the machineshowing the gui-deways for the body blanks and the body blanks atdifferent operating stations, said view being taken on the line 1-1 ofFig. 8;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a view showing more or less diagrammatically the guides forthe body blanks, the stops and the feeding mechanism at one side of the5 guideways for the body blanks;

Fig. 10 is a plan View showing the cams for releasing the feed dogs fromengagement with the body blanks;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 9, but showing 10 the body blanks ashaving moved forward into engagement with the stops and positionedthereby at the operating mechanism;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view on the line |2-l2 of Fig. 9; Fig. 13 is anenlarged plan View of one of the feeding units;

Fig. 14 is a view in vertical section showing the front end of one ofthe feeding units;

Fig. 15' is a sideview of one of the feeding units with the feed dograised and in engagement with a blank for feeding the same;

Fig. 16 is a View similar to Fig. 15, but showing the feed dog asdepressed and released from the body blank, and

Fig. 17 is a detail in side view of the cam for operating the stops.

The invention relates to a feeding mechanism for feeding metal blanks toan operating station.

The invention is illustrated as applied to a ma- 30 chine for making canbodies in which the body blanks are taken from a magazine and are fedintermittently to operating stations where various operations areperformed thereon preparatory to the shaping of the body blank intocylindrical form and the interlocking of the edge portions thereof. Themachine includes guide rails forming a guideway along which the bodyblanks are moved to the various operating stations. At each operatingstation is a stop which is moved into a 40 position for the body blankto contact therewith when it is brought to an operating station for thepurpose of locating the blank in a correct position for operationthereon. Associated with the stops are presser bars which clamp theblank in position for operation thereon.

The present invention has to do particularly with the feeding mechanismwhich brings the blanks to an operating station. The feeding mechanismis in the form of traveling chains carrying feeding units, each of whichincludesa feed dog. There is a traveling chain at each side of theguideway for the blank so that a pair of dogs contact with the blank forthe feeding of the same intermittently, first to one operating stationand then another. The chain travels continuously. There is a cam meansassociated with each chain which operates upon the feed dog forretracting the same from engagement with the body blank just prior tothe blanks contacting with the stop, so that the inertia of the bodyblank will lay the same in contact. with the stop. It is thought thatthe invention will be better understood by a detail description of theessential features of the body making machine and the manner of applyingthe improved feeding mechanism thereto.

In Figures 1 and 6 of the drawings, there is shown a portion of a bodymaker which includes a supporting frame l. Mounted on said supportingframe is a magazine 2 in which the body blanks are stacked. The bodyblanks are indicated at B. These body blanks are stripped one at a timefrom the bottom of the magazine on to a supporting bed 3, and are fedalong said bed by a reciprocating feed bar 4 carrying feed dogs 5, S and1 (see Fig. 8). This reciprocating feed bar 4 is attached to a crosshead 8 which in turn is connected to a suitable means for reciprocatingthe same back and forth. Suction cups, one of which is indicated at 9,are provided for stripping the blanks from the magazine on to the bed 3.The blanks are first fed to an operating station wherein the body blankis passed through breaker rolls for breaking the grain of the bodyblank. These breaker rolls are indicated at H and I2 in Fig. 2 of thedrawings. Associated with these breaker rolls is a guide block 3. Theblank is fed by the feed dog 1 into a position where a reciprocatingfeed dog it moves said blank laterally into the breaker rolls. The blankthen passes through the breaker rolls and is inverted as shown in thebroken line position in Fig. 2. This mechanism operating upon the blankspreparatory to the shaping of the same into cylindrical body form isshown and described in detail in the patent granted Nelson Troyer,August 12, 1930, No. 1,772,820.

The body blank after the grain has been broken therein is then fedforward along guideways, first to the edging station where the hooks areformed on the body blanks, and finally to the station where the bodyblanks are bent around a horn and the hooks interlocked and bumped. Thebody blank B in Fig. 3, has been operated upon at a notching station andnotches formed in the corners thereof as indicated at b. In Fig. 4, the

body blank B is shown as having been subjected to the first edgingoperation wherein the hook c is turned upward and the hook c is turneddownward, these hooks being placed substantially at right angles to theplane of the blank B. In Fig. 5, the body'blank .B' is shown as havingits hook c bent inwardly at an angle, and the hook also bent inwardly.This completes the formation of the hooks ready for the interlocking ofthe same at the bumping station.

The body blanks after they leave the station where the blank is passedthrough breaker rolls, are then moved on to guide rails i5 and I6 whichare disposed adjacent the side frames I! and [8, respectively. There isalso a central guide rail i9. These guide rails and sideframes form theguideway along which the body blank is moved as it is presented first.to one operating station and then another. The body blank is fed on tothese guide rails by the feed dogs I, l which are reciprocated in timingwith the feed dogs 5 and 6.

Disposed above the guide rails l5 and I 6 are yielding presser bars 26,20, one at each side of the guideway. The forward endsof these presserbars are upturned so that the body blank may be fed underneath thepresser bars on to the guide rails. The notching station includesnotching dies 2|, 2| carried by a reciprocating head 22. 5

There are notching dies at each side of the machine, and they are of theusual construction, and

it is not thought necessary to describe the same in detail. The bodyblank 13 is shown in Fig. 8 as positioned for notching. 'It is fedunderneath 10 presser bars 23, which as shown in Figures 9 and 11 aremade in two sections. There is the lower section 23w which contacts withthe blanks on the guide rails and the upper section 232) which is fixedto arms 24, 24. These arms 24, 24 are attached to a sleeve 25 (seeFig. 1) which is. mounted on a rod carried in brackets which areattached to the frame of the machine. The sleeve 25 is provided with anarm 26 carrying a roller 2'! which cooperates with the cams 28 on theshaft 29. There is a bar 23 at each side of the machine; and a similaroperating mechanism therefor. Also a shaft similar to the shaft 29. Thispresser bar and the means for operating the same is similar inconstruction to that shown in the patent granted Mervyn B. Troyer,October 28, 1930, No. 1,780,049.

The cam 28 is shown as provided with an eccentric portion 28a and aportion 281) following the same which is of greater eccentricity. This30 cam is so designed that it moves the section 23a of the presser barinto contact with the body blanks With a comparatively light pressure.The two sections 23a and 23b are separated by springs 23c, 23c, and thefirst movement of the section 23b of the bar compresses these springs,slightly increasing the tension on the section 23a. After the blank isproperly positioned for 7 operation thereon, then the cam 28 will movethe section 23b to the position shown in Fig. 11, and this will cause afirm clamping of the blanks against the guide rails, holding said blanksin a set position for the operations thereon.

Mounted on this section 23b of each presser bar is a stop 30. Said stopis adjustably attached to the presser bar by means of a bolt 3| passingthrough a slot 32 in the shank of the stop, and this permits the stop tobe shifted endwise of the presser bar. This stop 30 is for the purposeof positioning the body blank at the notching station. The stop 33adjustably secured to the section 23b of the presser bar by a bolt 34serves to position the body blank for the first edging station. It isunderstood that there is a stop 33 carried by the presser bar at eachside of the machine. Likewise, a stop 35 adjustably secured by a bolt 36to the section 23b of the presser bar serves to position the body blanksfor the second edging station. There may be stations which we have justreferred to, or additional stations where other operations are to beperformed. The essential feature is that when the body blank is broughtto a set position for operation thereon, it shall always be placed in apredetermined position relative to the operating mechanism. This isaccomplished by these adjustable stops. The stops move up and down withthe section 23b of the presser bar.

As shown in Fig. 9, they are in raised position, and the body blanks arefree to pass underneath the same. The body blanks are indicated at B. InFig. 8 of the drawings, the stop 30 is indicated and is shown as havingmoved downward to a position for the body blank 13 intermediate thesestations 60' to contact therewith. In Fig. 11, the stops are all intheir lower position with the body blanks in contact therewith and. thepresser bar 23 firmly clamping said blanks in their predetermined setpositions for the various operations thereon.

The body blanks are brought into engagement with the stops by a feedingmechanism which includes a feed chain 31. Said feed chain 37 runs over asprocket wheel 38 at the forward end of the machine and a sprocket wheel39 at the other end of the operating section of the machine. There is afeed chain at each side of the machine, as shown in Fig. '7. The feedchain is provided with a series of feeding units. These feeding unitsare shown in detailin Figures 13 to 16. Each feeding unit includes ahousing or support which is fixed to the feed chain. This housing orsupport is indicated at 40. Passing through the housing or support arepins 4|, 4| which are the connecting pins joining the links of thechain. These two pins attach the housing or support to the chain so thatit is supported thereby and caused to travel with the chain. The chainslides on a guide rail 42 as it passes through the operating stations,so that it is held from sagging and caused to travel in a straight line.This guide rail is provided with laterally projecting flanges 43, 43,and the housing or support 40 is provided with pins 44, 44 which projectunderneath the flanges and this insures that the chain shall travel incontact with the guide rail.

Pivotally mounted in each housing or support 45 is a feed dog 45. Thisfeed dog 45 is preferably formed integral with a short shaft 46, andthis short shaft 45 is journaled in hearings in the housing or support49. Said housing or support is provided with spaced side members 41 and45 forming a recess therebetween, and located in this recess is the feeddog 45. The side member 48 is cut away as indicated at 49, and this cutaway portion leads into the opening which receives and forms a bearingfor the shaft 45. The feed dog 45 is so dimensioned that the shaft maybe moved endwise into this recessed bearing in the side members 4! and48, and the feed dog passed over the upper wall of the cutaway portion49 so that it may be placed in the recess and held from lateral movementthrough the engagement thereof by the side members 41 and 48. Rigidlyattached to this shaft 46 is an arm 5!]- which is provided with a curvedface 5|. Said arm also has a laterally projecting portion 52. A stop pin53 placed in the wall of the housing or support 40 serves to engage thecurved face 5| and limit the upward movement of the feed dog 45. Mountedon the housing in the bottom of the recess for the feed dog is a guidepin 54. A spring 55 carried by said guide pin engages the under face ofthe feed dog and normally raises the feed dog to a position where thecurved face 5| contacts with a stop pin 53. When the feed dog is inraised position, it is then so disposed relative to the guide rails onwhich the body blanks rest that it will contact with the body blank, asshown in Fig. of the drawings. Means is provided for moving said feeddog 45 downward into the housing or support so as to release it from thebody blank 13 as shown in Fig. Hi. This releasing means is in the formof a cam bar 56. This cam bar 56 has a tapered end 51. This cam bar isstationary, and the feed chain carrying the feed unit supporting thefeed dog brings the curved face 5| into contact with the cam bar, andthe cam bar will cause said feed dog 45 to be lowered into the housingor support. This curved face 5| is so shaped that when it passes up onto the feed bar, it will ride along the same under the light 35 tensionof.the spring 55 which tends to lift the feed dog. As soon as this arm50 with the curved face 5| passes off the cam bar, then the feed dog 45will be raised by the spring to the position shown in Fig. 15. rying thefeed dogs have what might be called right and left hand arrangements ofthe control arm 50 thereon. That is to say, the control arm on one unitis on the right, while the control arm of the next adjacent unit is onthe 15 left. The structures are exactly the same, except that the otherside face of the housing or support 40 is cut away, and the control armlies along the opposite side of the housing or support, as noted. Thecam bars for operation upon the control arms are therefore placedalternately on opposite sides of the guide rail 42. The cam bar 56operates upon the feed units which have the control arm at the right ofthe housing, and the cam bars 55, 56' operate upon the feed unitswherein the control arm is on the opposite side of the housing. Thesecam bars for depressing the feed dogs are so disposed that when a blankis brought to a position almost in contact with the stop, the feed dogwill be depressed to a point where it will be released from itsengagement with the blank. The inertia or momentum of the blank willcause it to move on until it contacts with the stop. The blank is underthe yielding presser bar at this time, which retards somewhat itsmovement, but there is a suflicient movement of the blank after the feeddog is released therefrom in order to cause said blank to contact withthe stop and be properly positioned at the operating station. The feeddog is held depressed while the arm is in contact with the cam bar, andthe cam bar is of suflicient length so that when the feed dog isdepressed and disengaged from the blank it will be held depressed andout of contact with the blank until the feed dog is moved to a positionbeyond the stationary blank which is being operated upon at theoperating station. The feed dog will contact with the next blank in advance of the one which is brought to an operating station for takingsaid advance blank away from its operating station. In other words, onefeed dog brings a blank to an operating station, and the next followingfeed dog will take it away from the operating station. The feed dogs arecontinually traveling in the same direction during their passage throughthe operating stations, and at the same time, they operate tointermittently feed the blanks to and from the operating stations. 60While the invention is shown as applied to a body making machine, it isobvious that it may be applied to other types of can making machineswhere it is desired to feed blanks which are to be made into can partsto one operating station and then to another for successive operationsthereon. Furthermore, it is understood that while the feeding mechanismis shown as applied to a specific type of body making machine, whereinthe edges are notched and formed with hooks and interlocked, it will beobvious that it may be used in connection with other types of bodymakers. It is also obvious that changes in the details of constructionof the feed dogs and the manner of mounting and op- The feed units car-10 crating the same may be made without departin the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and .desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A can making machine comprising a guideway along which metal blanksare fed to an operating station, stops for positively limiting theadvancing movement of a blank at the operating station, a feedingmechanism for inter- 'mittently moving said blank to and from saidoperating station including continuously traveling feed dogs contactingwith a blank for moving the same along the guideway, andcam meansoperating upon said dogs for retracting the same from engagement with ablank as said blank is brought to a position for contact with the stops.

2. A can making machine comprising a guideway along which metal blanksare fed to an operating station, stops for positively limiting theadvancing movement of a'blank at the operating station, means forretracting the stops topermit the feeding of the blank from theoperating station, a feeding mechanism for intermittently. moving saidblank to and from said operating station including continuouslytraveling feed dogs contacting with the blank for moving the same alongthe guideway, and a cam means operating upon said dogs for retractingthe same from engagement with a blank as said .blank is brought to aposition for contact with the stops.

7 A can making machine comprising a guide- Way along which metal blanksare fed to an operating station, stops for positively limiting theadvancing movement of a blank at the operating station, a feedingmechanism for intermittently moving said blank to and from saidoperating station including a continuously moving feed chain, a seriesof feed dogs carried thereby adapted to contact with a blank for movingthe same along the guideway, and cam means operating upon said dogs forretracting the same from engagement with a blank as said blank isbrought to a position for contact with the stops.

- 4. A can making machine comprising a guidea way along which metalblanks arefed to an operating station, stops for positively limiting theadvancing movement of a blank at the operating stations, means forretracting the stops to permit the feeding of the blank from oneoperating station to another, a feeding mechanism for intermittentlymoving said blank to and from said operating stations each includingcontinuously moving feed chains, a series of feed dogs carried by saidchains adapted to contact with a blank for moving the same along theguideway, and cam means operating upon said dogs for retracting the samefrom engagement with a blank as said blank is brought to a position forcontact with the stops.

5. A can making machine comprising a guideway along which metal blanksare fed to an operating station, stops for positively limiting anadvancing movement of a blank at the operating stations, a feedingmechanism for intermittently moving said blank to and from saidoperating stations each including continuously traveling feed chains, aseries of feeding units carried by said chains, each having a feed dogyieldingly raised into position for engagement with a blank for movingthe same along the guideway, stationary cam bars, and means connected tothe feed dogs and operated upon by the cam bars for retracting the feeddogs from engagement with a blank as said blank is brought to a positionfor contact with the stops.

6. A can making machine comprising a guideway along which metal blanksare fed to an operating station, stops for positively limiting anadvancing movement of a blank at the operating stations, a feedingmechanism for intermittently moving said blanks to and from saidoperating stations each including continuously moving feed chains,feeding units carried by said chains, each having a feed dog, means foryieldingly raising the feed dog for causing the same to contact with ablank for moving the blank along the guideway stationary cam bars, eachadapted to contact with stationary cam bars for retracting the feeddogs, said stationary cam bar being disposed relative to said stops soas to disengage the feed dog from the blank as said blank is brought toa position for contact with the stops.

'7. A can making machine comprising a guideway along which metal blanksare fed to a pluralty of operating stations, stops associated with eachstation for positively limiting the advancing movement of the bodyblanks, means for retracting said stops to permit the body blanks to befed from one operating station to another, a feeding mechanism forintermittently moving said blanks to and from said operating stationsincluding a plurality of continuously traveling feed dogs adapted toengage the blanks for mov ing the same, and means for retractng saidfeed dogs when the blanks are positioned against the stops so that thefeed dog may pass beneath the blank, said retracting means releasing thefeed dog so that it is again projected for engagement with an advancedblank for moving the same away from the operating station to the nextsucceeding operating station.

8. A'can making machine comprising a guideway along which metal blanksare fed to a plurality of operating stations, stops associated with eachstation for positively limiting the advancing movement of the bodyblanks, means for retracting said stops to permit the body blanks to befed from one operating station to another, a feeding mechanism forintermittently moving said blanks to and from said operating stationincluding a traveling feed chain extending along the guideways from infront of one operating station to a point in rear of the last operatingstation, a plurality of feed units carried by said chain, each includinga feed dog yieldingly projected so as to engage a blank for moving thesame along the guideway, a plurality of cam bars, means connected witheach feed dog adapted to contact with the stationary cam bars forretracting the feed dogs, said cam bars being proportioned and disposedso as to retract the feed dog from engagement with the blank when it isbrought to a position for contact with the stops, and holding said feeddogs retracted until they have advanced beneath the blank at theoperating station, and

